Dragonfly
by Rockbell
Summary: [AU[SasuSaku, KakaSaku] Haruno Sakura. Sixteen. Klutz. Supernatural healer. Sounds about right, for someone who's being pursued not only by the government but by an elite squad of ninja for something more than just ulterior motives...


**Disclaimer: **Oh God. If I owned Naruto, I fear it wouldn't have many fans.

**DRAGONFLY:** _Slide_

* * *

The wind brushed against her tresses, carrying them along with the whispery current as she looked down, past the tips of her toes to the cliff below. A hard gulp pulled at her throat; lips parted as her tongue dashed out to moisten the chapped dryness. Her hands brushed against her thighs, bare. A soft, spandex material clung to her torso, hugging against her curves almost uncomfortably. The darkened sky above glared down at her menacingly – she could feel the pressure of the swirling clouds lifting at her body.

Stepping forward, a platform began to form, reaching just feet from the edge of the cliff. Her heart skipped a beat. It was almost time to let go. In the reflection of her goggles she could see the green of her eyes, the blackness of her pupil. Holding her arms above her head, she clapped her hands together, pressing her palms against each other firmly before she arched her back, looking up at the sky once more. Stands full of roaring people – blank faces and all looking very generic – suddenly erupted from the landscape; she stumbled. Her toes dug at the edge of the board, but she could not remain within its vicinity.

Falling fast, she opened her mouth in a silent scream; she was tumbling toward the bottom of the cliff, the rocky ground fast coming. But something strange happened. The world was spinning around her, turning circles – to the sky and to the ground. She was doing a number of complicated flips and twirls, her body winding gracefully as the crowd went silent in patient awe. The grace of her maneuvers had stunned each of them, and just as she hit the dirt below, something gripped at the corners of her mouth, upturning them to a smile. A splash of water greeted her, embracing her in its coolness as a shrill sound filled her ears.

Something reached out and grabbed her by the neck, wrenching her back into consciousness.

* * *

Haruno Sakura awoke to the ringing of her alarm clock; the blocked, vibrant red letters of the appliance reading a stern 6 AM. Sighing, she pulled a plaid purple pillow over her head, digging into it with her slender fingers as she turned onto her side and tried to drown it out. A knock at her door greeted her furthermore as her mother pushed it open and walked in, kicking aside some dirty laundry.

"_Honestly_ Sakura," she sighed, looking exasperated. She pressed a digit to the 'sleep' button and the room went silent. "You have to be at school in thirty minutes!"

Her mother leant over and tugged the duvet from Sakura's small form; Sakura immediately shot up and glared, her mint-colored orbs flashing dangerously. "I don't wanna go," was all she mumbled as she flopped onto her back, pulling a sheet around her head and closing her eyes.

Suzuran felt a familiar twitch at her eyebrow as she pulled off the sheet, gripping Sakura by the big toe as she once again sat up, slapping at her mom's arms. "ITAI! Okay – okay, I'm up! I'm up!"

Feeling victorious, Suzuran balled a hand into a fist and held it in front of her. "I win."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Well, you may have won the battle–"

"I'll win the war, too," Suzuran's eyes gleamed. "Now, I suggest you go brush your teeth because your breath is smelly, little one."

"…My breath smells?" Sakura cupped a hand over her mouth and breathed out heavily, catching the scent before it evaded her entirely. "My breath does not stink!"

"It does. Believe me," her mom joked. She extended an arm to point over at the bathroom door adjacent to Sakura's bed. "Brush your teeth. Your toast is already done and it's probably cold."

"Yeah, _yeah_," Sakura waved a hand, mumbling as she swung her legs over the bed and stood. Her mother exited the bedroom as she pulled open the curtains to her room, wincing as the bright sun's rays poured over her, shadows creeping across her bed and onto the walls as a result.

"Another sunny day," she muttered, tugging the curtains closed once more before entering her bathroom. Her thoughts immediately shifted to the dream she had had before she awoke to the annoyingly loud ringing of what could have been a siren. Pulling open the medicine cabinet, she retrieved her toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste, her eyes glued to the mirror as she closed it.

Her reflection finally came full turn as the door snapped shut, revealing her disheveled rouge locks that pooled down around her shoulders. There was a small area at the corner of her mouth where probable slobbering had occurred; upon her rather long forehead (though no one dared to tell her this) was the imprint of a name. It clearly read "Sasuke," after the scribbled writing that marred the back of her hand, blurry and smeared.

Shifting on her foot, she began to brush her teeth, looking up at the ceiling light as if it was the most fascinating thing mankind had yet to come up with. Muddled thoughts poured into her mind as she remembered scientific facts on the light-bulb, studying quietly on the quiz she was to take later on in the day. /_Atoms are excited by heat_/ she thought miserably/_blah, blah. Phosphor gives off the white light…/_

An idle hand twisted at her hair, curling it up to the top of her head as she made what she tried to express as a sensual smile at the mirror. Instead, she looked like she was a rabid vagrant; the foam around her mouth from the toothpaste did nothing to give her a sexy look, and the knots in her hair even more so. Scrunching her nose in distaste, she finished up and combed out her mane, her train of thoughts reverberating from science to Sasuke.

Every morning she would try for a different hair-do, a different way of wearing her school uniform, a different eye shadow. However, nothing managed to reach the young Uchiha's attention. She failed on every level with him, personality wise, she gauged, and looks-wise. It wasn't as if she were ugly – /_surely not_/ - but she wasn't drop-dead gorgeous either.

Cupping her hands around her breasts, she pushed them up a bit, standing to the side and inspecting her immature curves, growling angrily. Every morning she hoped for some growth at least in that area, and each morning she would grow irate at herself. "It's as if they SHRINK," she spat at the mirror, throwing her arms at her sides as she stomped out of the bathroom. "I'm sixteen and I look as though I'm twelve—"

Digging through a rather large pile of laundry, she grabbed at her school uniform. It was wrinkled, and the tie was still lazily wrapped around the collar. Her skirt had a small stain on the hem, which she tried desperately to get out with a washcloth – losing rather sadly.

Eyeing the clock with wary eyes (it read 6:24 AM); she pulled off her nightgown and on her uniform, leaving a mess of clothing on the floor. Making her way down the stairwell, she stumbled on the last step, catching her fall with outstretched arms. She was probably the clumsiest thing to have ever roamed the earth, and had she been like the ugly ducky who grew into a graceful swan, it would've happened by then.

Entering the kitchen, she spotted her dad sitting at the table, a fisher's hat adorning his hair and a newspaper shielding the entire upper region of his body. All that was visible was the hat, some hooks hanging from the rim, radiating her father's quirkiness in just that. Peering over the edge of the newspaper, she stuck her tongue out at him.

"That newspaper is upside down," she grinned.

He looked up at her. "Oh, good point."

Haruno Bokasu flipped the paper upright, looking very studious. Sakura tinkered over to the fridge and pulled it open, grabbing a small tin box that she tucked under her arm as she leant over and grabbed a piece of toast, it indeed cold between her fingers. Biting it between her teeth, she walked over to the table and raised an eyebrow at Bokasu.

"What's so special about what you're reading?" she inquired carefully. He seemed to be very pensive. She suspected something such as politics or the latest economic scandal.

She rounded about the chair, looking over his shoulder as she sighed heavily. He was reading the Wednesday comics, looking enthralled in his favorite – an American imported one, with a tiger and a small boy featured in its panels. "I love Calvin and Hobbes!" he bellowed, hugging the paper to his chest.

Sakura shook her head, hugging him with one arm. Bokasu put the fisher's hat over her clean-kept hair.

"NOW I'M GOING TO HAVE HAT HAIR," she yelled, stomping her foot. He looked at her simply just as her Suzuran walked in.

"Off to school now," she said minutely, walking around the island in the middle of the kitchen. Sakura looked at the Felix clock on the wall, its tail swinging back and forth with each resounding 'tick'.

"I'M GOING TO BE SO LATE!" she yelled, not bothering to remove the hat as she pulled open the front door, running out in a frenzy, kicking up dust from the driveway as she heaved herself through the front gates.

"She has to get it from you," Suzuran confided, tipping the coffee container towards the ceramic mug she held within her hand. "No other explanation."

"I always thought she got it from _you_," was Bokasu's only response as he turned a page, roaring with laughter at the fat cat that reminded him much of himself.

* * *

"I can't believe this," Sakura whispered, looking up into his eyes, her lips parted. Her chest rose and fell with each heated breath.

"I understand completely," spoke a soft, husky voice; ragged breathing present not unlike her own.

"HERE WE ARE AGAIN," she kicked off from the track, having a temper tantrum before tripping onto a patch of grass, her face pressed against a mountain of dirt. Uzumaki Naruto was standing nearby her, stretching languidly as he wiped beads of perspiration from his forehead.

Tiredness washed over her body as she lay there, on her knees with her behind up in the air. The backs of her hands brushed into the ground, her cheek puffed up against the dirt. "If I run one more lap I'll die," she whimpered. Flipping over onto her back, she tugged at her shirt carelessly.

"Ne, ne, Sakura-chyan," Naruto started, a grin spreading across his face in tandem with her frown. "It looks like you fell in a pile of crap."

"SHUT UP!" she screamed, her face turning red as she started wiping the mud from her cheek, just worsening it as it smudged across her pale skin. He walked over, taking off his gym shirt and handing it to her without any words. She thanked him quietly, using it to relieve herself of the soil.

She chanced a glance at him; he was staring out to the other side of the track, where a group of peers had gathered. Everyone else was finished except for herself and Naruto. Suddenly a pang of guilt flashed in her chest, and she scowled.

"You always do this," she grit out, apologetic tones laced in her words.

"What?" he looked down at her, his eyes characteristically closed. He had crossed his arms against his bare chest.

"Get low marks to stick around and run with me," Sakura began, "I don't need anyone's pity."

Naruto tilted his head to the side, in her direction even though he couldn't possibly see her. "Huh?"

"You are probably faster than Sasuke-kun, yet—"

"HELL YES I'M FASTER THAN THAT—"

"LET ME FINISH!" she yelled. He snapped his mouth shut, content to pout. "What I was saying, is that you could've been done a long time ago. But I appreciate it, don't get me wrong," she finished lamely.

"Hn, well, I thought that's what friends were for," Naruto answered simply. She couldn't help the smile that broke out onto her face. Taking an offered hand, he pulled her to her feet. "I'LL BEAT YOU TO THE FINISH LINE!"

Looking determined, Sakura took off at the same time as Naruto, running into the wind as it her ponytail waved to and fro, whipping at the nape of her neck. Inevitably he reached it before her, doing a small victory dance at the end of the track as Sakura sprint over it.

Suddenly a dozen people were in her face as they all moved out her way, inertia taking over her as she smacked right into a strong back, gripping the sides of the figure's shirt and clinging to it in order to keep a hold of herself.

"GET OFF OF HIM!" a familiar voice rung out, causing Sakura to turn her head slightly to look behind her shoulder. Yamanaka Ino was the source; her blonde hair was pulled into a high ponytail, the sun cascading a cyclical ring around her head.

The body she was leant upon tensed. Sakura immediately let go and stepped back, looking from the shoulder blade area and up as she spotted a dark lock of obsidian hair, her eyes widening as she continuing to slowly rove her eyes upwards.

"_Sasuke-kun_!" she bumbled, clamping a hand over her mouth. He turned to look at her, standing from the side at an angle, his onyx eyes flashing at her. "I'm really sorry—"

"Idiot, getting in Sakura-chan's way like that!" yelled Naruto, who was still bare-chested. He had grabbed at Sasuke's collar, who impatiently slapped his hand away and looked back at Sakura.

"I believe," he began, "it was this one's fault." He pointed a slim finger at Sakura, who turned redder from embarrassment than she had from the heat and exhaustion of running ten laps.

"Like I said, I'm really sorry," she held her hands up defensively.

Ino decided to butt in. "She has no control whatsoever," she said, looking at Sasuke with a devious smirk. "However, some of us know how to use our bodies quite well."

Sasuke paid no attention to her as he walked past them all, grabbing one of the tennis rackets from a cart as he headed for the designated court area.

"You retard," Ino sighed, looking at Sakura with shielded eyes. "No wonder you still haven't been chosen to dive for Konoha."

"Quiet you," Sakura hissed. Ino just sneered proudly. "Just because you get to dive at the regional competition doesn't mean I won't be selected for the nationals."

Ino slapped a hand against Sakura's temple. "Wake up," she laughed. "Maybe the running has gotten to your head. You aren't that good; in fact you're pretty mediocre. Maybe next year. Or maybe never. If I were you though, I'd go with the latter as most likely."

"Sakura-chan'll prove you wrong," Naruto butted in, standing in front of Sakura as to be a knight in shining armor. Sakura shoved him out of the way, pointing a finger in Ino's face.

"OH YEAH? I'll show you who's better then," Sakura challenged. "On the court, now!"

"Please. The only competition we'll ever have is over him," Ino jut out her chin in Sasuke's general direction. "I'll win that. It's a promise."

Sakura could only seethe as Ino walked past her, catching up with some other friends as they all handled rackets within their hands.

"HARUNO! UZUMAKI! What are you doing?" a strong voice chided. Sakura turned slowly to look up at her tall, imposing gym coach who was at least a foot or two taller than her. She gulped.

Naruto stood proudly, glorious in only his shorts, socks and sneakers.

"Uzumaki!" Ibiki screamed.

"What?" he grinned, placing his fists onto his hips.

"SHIRT, NOW."

"Okay!" and so Naruto grabbed his shirt from Sakura's arm, where it had been idly, putting it on over his head despite the dirt that marred its creamy color.

"Both of you on the courts now," Ibiki ordered. Sakura nodded with a gulp, while Naruto wildly ran onto court 1A, challenging Sasuke loudly with a sound proclamation of his early victory.

Sakura felt anxiety tug at her mood as she sauntered out onto the court. Slipping in through the gate and leaning upon the steel rings, she watched as Sasuke tilted his chin up, holding the racket in front of him as he sent a tennis ball at Naruto in lightning speed. His shirt rose slightly with his arms, revealing the hint of a lean stomach and toned muscle. Sakura's heart skipped a beat as she watched him jut to the side suddenly, sending the ball back at Naruto who viciously rebounded it.

Even though the lesson plan called for everyone to be going against one another, most of the students had gathered onto the outer ring of court 1A, watching as Sasuke and Naruto competed; they both were glaring intently at each other by the last hour of class, out of breath and tied.

Neither of them had missed a chance to hit the tennis ball.

Sakura bit her knuckles to fight back a yawn, shaking her head to focus on the match. It had become rather redundant and boring, but Sasuke-kun seemed interested enough, and when she had the chance to watch him she used it.

It was almost in wonder that she compared the two, like night and day. Sasuke's pale skin, black hair and Naruto's peachy tan – complete with hair as bright as the blazing orb in the sky. Their personalities were nothing alike as well; Naruto had an optimistic deposition while Sasuke an almost cynical and reprimanding one. Even their body types were opposite. While Naruto was taller than Sakura, Sasuke definitely beat him in that department, though both were noticeably healthy and muscular.

There was something about Sasuke's appearance that was so utterly dangerous though…it was almost beautiful. The way he could hit the ball each time with such reflex, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. A sheen of sweat across his forehead. The way his cheek would twitch when he was irate. She'd figured it all out by then. After all, it had come from years of standing in the sidelines, watching him.

A whistle took her from her musings as Ibiki stormed into IA, glaring at them. Everybody slowly stepped away. Naruto and Sasuke were glaring at each other so angrily that Sakura thought one of them would attack the other at any time. Naruto was clearly more evident with his, anger wrought on his features. On the other hand, Sasuke's was more in his eyes, in the sharp line of his mouth; the way his jaw was set.

"YOU ALL MAY…" Ibiki began, "leave. With the exception of Uzumaki and Uchiha."

And so they all shuffled out of the court, though Sakura stood in her spot. No one seemed to notice. However, a small voice from behind the gate caused her to stir. She turned, coming face to face with Hinata, who was probably her closest friend.

"You coming? We have English next. If we're late, Iruka-sensei might not be too happy."

"I'm going to wait for Sasuke-kun," Sakura smiled.

"Erm, okay. I'll save you your seat," Hinata said, (Sakura could've sworn she'd looked at Naruto) before turning and running to catch up with a group of other girls.

Brushing some pink strands that had gone astray from her face, Sakura watched as Morino-sensei animatedly bellowed at Sasuke and Naruto.

She could catch some of the words, "TENNIS…REGIONAL COMPETITION…PRACTICE…SUSHI…"

At the last word her eyebrow raised.

Finally, the three males walked toward the exit of 1A. Naruto and Sasuke were quietly talking between themselves. It was completely odd how the two were the best of friends despite the outward appearance that they were the most rivaled of enemies.

Ibiki stopped suddenly before Sakura.

"CLASS, NOW," he yelled, pointing outside of the gate. Sakura slunk into the fence and watched him as he left. Finally, Naruto and Sasuke reached the exit and Sakura greeted them with a slight wave.

"Naruto, Sasuke-kun," she smiled, her voice quieting at Sasuke's name.

Naruto enveloped her in his arms, and she shrieked, pushing him back by the chest. He had been sweaty and now she felt reasonably icky. "I hope you shower before English," she said, squinting.

"Shower? What for?" Naruto asked almost curiously.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Naruto from the side, shifting them back onto Sakura, who looked at him almost expectedly. He brushed past her and Naruto, tucking his hand into the singular pocket at the side of his gym shorts. Sakura sighed as Naruto hooked a friendly arm around her shoulder, dragging her along.

"Ah, Sasuke definitely got his ass kicked out there today, didn't he?" Naruto boasted, puffing out his chest as a solemn look overtook his features.

"Actually," Sakura started, hoping to win some extra points with the Uchiha, "I'd say _you_ did."

"TRAITOR!" Naruto cried, offended.

Sasuke didn't seem to even notice. Not even a glance behind. Just as they reached the locker rooms, Sasuke began to take off his shirt, pulling it over his head as he disappeared inside. Sakura had stopped short, mouth agape at what she had seen. He had the most beautiful body she'd even laid eyes on; statuesque almost. Porcelain skin, smooth and silky almost – if only she could just—

"Sakura-chyan," Naruto said, nudging her with his arm. "You can't come in here."

She had just begun to enter the boy's locker room, becoming flustered. "Oh—eh, I'll see you in English."

"Make me up an excuse!"

"I WILL NOT!"

* * *

Sakura sat within the confines of her desk, trying to come up with any sort of excuse for Naruto and Sasuke. It wasn't as if it were necessary, Iruka-sensei usually was perfectly understanding of it, as each Wednesday they would all be reasonably late from gym due to the fact that Sasuke and Naruto's rivalry was a palpable display of sportsmanship, and was enough to draw everyone's attention. She suspected that Morino-sensei would give the two hall passes anyways, so she settled in her seat and looked over at Hinata, who was watching the door with a glaze in her eyes.

"Hina-chan," she said softly, "sensei will be here soon enough."

Hinata looked over at Sakura, giving her an unsure grin. "Oh, of course."

"Though it's sort of odd, isn't it?" Sakura asked, half to herself and half to her friend. "He's usually waiting for us all here."

The busy bustle of the classroom was almost foreign; Iruka-sensei was always there to keep the noise level down to a minimum. He was an excellent teacher in that way; he had complete authority over his English class.

Hinata nodded, the bob of her deep brown hair bouncing slightly. Her plain eyes had went back to studying the door again. Sakura sighed, leaning back in her chair, it teetering on the back legs as the door swung open. Immediately everyone situated themselves in their appropriate desks, looking sweet as candy and as suspicious as someone in a trench coat.

"Such a polite greeting!" Naruto yelled, posing in front of them. He was fully dressed in his school uniform; save for the jacket (it was swung over his left shoulder). His tie was undone and the left side of his button-up shirt was left untouched while the other side was neatly tucked within his pants. His belt had little silver studs in rows of three horizontally, and in the middle of his belt buckle was a small leaf symbol, the mark of their high school. (Konoha Junior and Senior High School, Kyoto, Japan). Upon his feet were a pair of worn black carpet slippers.

Everyone immediately arose from their seats, going back to their little cliques; some had thrown balls of paper at Naruto who dodged them all and threw them back, hitting every one of the offenders directly on the head. "Score!" he chimed, before grinning at Sakura and hurrying over. He took his seat behind her, blowing on the nape of her neck as a chill went down her spine.

"Naruto, stop!" she screeched, turning in her seat; her hand gripped the back of her chair as she glared at him. His grin grew wider.

"H-Hello Naruto-kun," came Hinata's small, fragile voice. Naruto looked over, his eyes closed and his lips perked.

"Hi Hyuuga-san!" he said politely.

Sakura gazed at the two tiredly before turning to watch Sasuke enter. Her eyes, along with all of the other girls', were focused only on him for the time being. His uniform was impeccable, from the jacket, to the under shirt; the belt to the pants, down to his gray carpet slippers. His hair was damp. It wasn't as spiked or wry as usual, and his eyes were downcast as he reached his seat. It was directly behind Naruto's, next to the window that overlooked the green house that rested further across the school's lawn.

Sakura waved slightly at him. She was relieved to at least gain a small nod from him, and went to open her mouth when she realized the entire classroom had gone quiet. Turning her head to look over at the general direction of their eyesight, she raised her thin eyebrows.

A rather tall man had shuffled into the classroom; broad shoulders and a lean torso were adorned by a regular white button up shirt. A crimson red tie hung from his collar, tied immaculately. He wore jet black slacks, all the way down to a pair of…Chuck Taylor High Tops, which were tied with white shoelaces. Her eyes roamed over him – he looked like he could've been one of the students in fact. Dangling from one shoulder was a khaki colored duffle bag, with small patches sewn into the sides. Finally her eyes came to rest on his face, which was so amazingly handsome that she caught her breath.

He had an angular jaw; upon his chin was a small scar in the shape of an irregular 'x'. His lips were thin, but full enough she decided. His nose was straight, a small slope at the tip. Eyes lazy and dark, yet beautiful in their own right. Glasses rested upon the bridge of his nose, boxed and wire framed. A scan ran vertically over his left eye, running down midway on his cheek. They told stories, she burdened a guess - those scars.

He sat down where Iruka-sensei usually sat, kicking his feet onto the desk.

"Yo."

The class gaped.

"Who are you?" Naruto inquired loudly. "And what did you do with Iruka-sensei?"

He had jumped to his feet. Sakura sighed and tugged Naruto down roughly by the collar.

"Who are you?" the man asked, turning the tables. Naruto huffed.

"Uzumaki Naruto," he started, "the most popular, handsome boy in all of Konoha."

"Oh, _yes_," Sakura drawled. "A punk like you."

"Your name then?" the man said, pointing at Sakura.

Sakura bit back an insult and straightened up, folding her arms across the top of her desk. "Haruno Sakura."

She scowled when he seemed to ignore her, moving on through the class ("Uchiha Sasuke…Hyuuga Hinata…Yamanaka Ino…Nara Shikamaru…Roga Rizu…")

"Uchiha, huh."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, though a glint in his eyes were apparent only to the careful teacher.

"If you insist on knowing, I'm Hatake Kakashi," he finally revealed to the class. He ran a hand through the messy tuft of silverish hair, which was insanely messy. "I'm your new teacher."

"WHAT?" Naruto said, slamming his hand down onto his desk.

"New teacher," Kakashi repeated.

"WHAT?" Naruto asked again. "I refuse to believe this."

Kakashi rolled up his sleeves, earning curious glances from the classroom as he leant further back in his chair. He adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose, lowering them further down until they rested on the tip. He then pulled a book out of almost no where, its unwelcoming orange back facing the class as he flipped through a few pages and settled in, reading it with lazy eyes.

"…So then," Shikamaru popped in from the back of the classroom, his chin resting on his palm. "You gonna teach or something?"

Kakashi held up a finger, hushing Shikamaru. They all waited in an uncomfortable silence, awaiting their lesson or something of the such.

"Where's Iruka-sensei?" someone finally piped up. Sakura looked over to see it was Hinata, who shied into her seat as the class all looked at her before glancing over at Kakashi.

"Mm, sick apparently," Kakashi confided.

"What is it he's reading?"

"He's got weird hair."

"…Is that _Icha Icha Paradise_?"

Kakashi lowered the book just slightly, glancing over at the source of the question. Akimichi Chouji slunk into his seat, his stomach grazing the edge of his desk. "Read it then?"

"Ah, well, _er_—"

"Certainly not a book for a fourteen year old," Kakashi said.

"It's not like that—"

"There's no shame in it."

Finally, it clicked. She had vaguely recognized the name _Icha Icha Paradise_ before the gears in her head grit against each other and began to circulate.

"…No shame in reading a perverted novel like _that_?" Sakura asked, almost incredulous.

"No," was his simple reply. She glared at him.

Kakashi tugged at his tie, undoing it as he continued to read through his book. Suddenly, he sat forward, the class all looking on nervously as he parted his lips.

"Ichiko's back arched, the strange feeling rushing through her body; her eyes shut tightly as she saw sparks from the back of her eyelids. She could not help the gasp that escaped her lips, which soon simpered into a quiet moan. He looked on, pleased with himself as he rest his head against the inner of her thigh," he read. The entire class had turned blushing shades of crimson.

"S-sukebe!" Sakura cried out, pressing her hands against her desk.

Naruto furrowed his eyebrows. "What did he do to her?"

Kakashi stared at him with a relaxed expression. He flipped to the next page and ignored the class.

"What was," Sasuke began, "the point of that little charade?"

Kakashi finally stood, setting the book down on the desktop before grabbing a piece of chalk, scrawling in large letters over the blackboard: **POP QUIZ**. A collective groan filled the classroom as he began to erase it, then writing out: **KIDDING**. They all made a fuss before he began to write something out, this time in smaller letters and in neat, tidy form.

"Fourteen year-olds are simple, so I'll give you simple homework," he mused as he scrawled across the board.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I'm sixteen," Sakura objected. "As are most of us, some older than that."

"You don't look a day over twelve."

She went to get out of her desk, but Naruto had grabbed at her shoulders.

"The thing about novels," he gestured toward _Icha Icha Paradise_, "is that they use descriptive elements to explain the location, the characters, and the overall emotion of the book. I want you all to explore your imagination and write me a narrative essay, five paragraph standard with three elements.

There is no hero. It is set within a village. There has been a disaster. The word minimum for this essay is three thousand words, anything below it will be disregarded. Tomorrow we will discuss them aloud. You will not have the essay to read from, so use your memory best to your ability."

"You call that simple?" Shikamaru asked, though he very well knew he had an excellent memory. It was just all a bit too troublesome. "This _sucks_."

"Another way that you could've said that is "This assignment supersedes the effort I am willing to put forth to it, and therefore I find it disagreeable."

Shikamaru had no answer to that, so he remained silent. Ino snickered from next to him, finding it all too amusing. She sort of liked this guy; this Kakashi-sensei. He was fun, she could admit, and she was excellent at writing – more so than that brat Haruno anyways. If she could write something spectacular, than maybe she could win Sasuke over through fantastic scriptures and fancy words. She'd have to find her thesaurus however.

Sakura on the other hand was dreading it. While she loved to write, Iruka-sensei had never made her read her essays or short stories orally, and the pressure was already weighing down on her shoulders.

Shifting in her seat a bit, she looked outside the window and caught the reflection of Sasuke in the glass, biting her lip at the chiseled profile of his face. He looked to be absorbed in something, his eyebrow creased and a twitch at his cheek. Suddenly his eyes flashed to the window, almost as if he was looking at her from one reflection to the other. She gasped, turning her head and examining the linoleum, her foot sweeping back and catching dust upon her pink slippers. That had been slightly embarrassing. Sakura was usually careful to make sure he didn't see her gazing at him.

"You can all go now," Kakashi said with a wave of his hand. Everyone poured out of the classroom, leaving Hinata, Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke behind. Naruto because he was the one who cleaned up the classroom usually; Sakura because she was carefully rearranging the contents of her desk, Hinata because she was waiting for Sakura. Sasuke was resisting the urge to snap Kakashi's neck.

/_So they've sent you,_/ he thought, not at all amused, though a tug at his lips wanted to catch him in a smirk. /_The legendary assassin – Copy-nin Kakashi. We'll see about that_./

* * *

The wind gripped at him, flowing through the strands of his hair. It froze his bare skin; the top edge of his face left unmasked. The swirl of his tattoo was visible upon his bicep, a sheath of metal covering the lower half. Within its confines was a hidden kunai, and on the underneath of it another. A light-weight vest covered his torso, though it was not good for shielding against sharp objects, it was durable and allowed him the ability to move carefully and concisely. It wasn't as though he was an easy target to hit, however. He was the fastest of his squad; probably the most precise and accurate of them all. Probably the most deadly.

The eye-patch that hid his sharingan was cool against his skin, the leather bringing in the chill of the air. He awaited patiently, resting underneath the dim moonlight; his figure was sheathed by the shadows of the school's edifice. Looking down at his ANBU mask almost dejectedly, he tossed it to the side. He never wore that silly thing, not anymore at least. He was perfectly fine with the soft material of his mask and the eye-patch was more than enough.

The ANBU mask made him feel more animal than human.

Leaning over the stone wall, one foot propped against the edge, he looked over to see a few students still trickling around, even at seven PM. Of course it was natural that some were left over from after school hours, as they all stayed to clean up the school; clubs and the such as well. Still, it would become needlessly wearisome on him for any bystanders to be around, and he was strictly ordered to rid of anyone who bore witness to his crimes.

He slunk further into the shadows as he could see his target emerge from the school's limit, his silhouette tall and thin. It was unmistakable. Kakashi knew from the moment he entered the classroom that the Uchiha boy would recognize him, and it would decidedly become more difficult to hunt him when the boy was constantly surrounded by other pupils. Shifting his eyes across the courtyard, he could see no others before he leapt from the top of the building, landing stealthily in one of the huge trees that lined the lawn's four corners. It at first glance seemed that Sasuke had not noticed, but the sudden stiffness that Kakashi could see within Sasuke's shoulders told him otherwise.

The boy knew what was to come.

So Kakashi would have to surprise him.

* * *

Okaaay. So after a whole three hours of sitting here and ignoring everyone else, chapter one of Dragonfly is done. Y'all are probably wondering what in the hell is going on, but I think I got it all pretty clear. Any questions are welcome in a review; I'll be sure to get back to you. I expect I'll be able to update once a week. I already have the beginning of chapter two written (as this chapter has gotten WAY too long…)

Anyways, this is not beta'd so there's probably a few errors and the like. OH WELL, I say!

Rockbell


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